hervorgeben

Hervorgeben is a German verb formed with the prefix hervor- and the verb geben (to give). In modern usage it is relatively rare and is mainly found in older texts, formal prose, or in discussions about language. The term is often treated as a variant or more literary counterpart to vorgeben, which is the standard verb for “to pretend” or “to claim.”

In its common sense, hervorgeben expresses that someone presents or asserts something as true or as a fact, often with an emphasis on self-presentation. This can include claiming a quality, a status, or a capability. In another sense, hervorgeben can mean to put forward or advance something for consideration, such as a claim, an argument, or evidence. In this sense the meaning aligns with verbs like vorlegen or vorbringen, though hervorgeben is less frequent in contemporary usage.

Because hervorgeben is not widely used today, many writers prefer vorgeben when the sense is “to pretend” and prefer vorlegen or vorbringen when the sense is “to present” or “to advance” an argument or piece of evidence. The verb can appear in various compound forms in line with other prefixed geben verbs, but its separability and exact conjugation patterns are less productive than those of vorgeben.

See also: vorgeben, sich ausgeben als, vorlegen, vorbringen, hervorgehoben.